Two Chairs' Policy: "Pro -Western" Armenia helps Putin
The official Yerevan, who pursues the "two chairs" policies, on the one hand, enhances the impression of reorientation to the West, and on the other, does not hurry to break the relations with Putin. This is especially eloquently evidenced by the participation of Armenia in the bypass of anti -Russian sanctions.
"Despite the deterioration of political relations between Armenia and Russia, bilateral trade is thriving, forcing Western partners to think about Yerevan's approach to sanctions," said Euractiv European edition. Since the beginning of this year, the EU has approved the 13th and 14th packages of anti-Russian sanctions. They include 310 individuals and legal entities from eight countries that "take an active part in the circumstance of EU sanctions.
" However, among them, there is still no logistics Putin's logistics, which for over two years helps him to circumvent sanctions. The "pro -Western" Armenias allow to violate the sanction regime, despite the loud motto of the European Commission on "the relentless persecution of those who help Russia to circumvent sanctions.
" Back in May 2023, the Director of the US Department of State Department Jim O'Branin explicitly stated that Washington refers Armenia to countries that help the Russian Federation to circumvent sanctions. But the words remained in words: the US has not yet taken any action to prevent the supply of sub-goods to the aggressor country through Yerevan. Facts that indicate that Armenia is the main channel of the Russian Federation to bypass sanctions more than enough.
According to UN Comtrade Database, 3. 5 million carats of treated and untreated diamonds were brought to Armenia in 2023 by about $ 561 million. At the same time, 48% of stones were brought to Armenia. For the same 2023, a record number of diamonds was exported from Armenia - about 4. 5 million carats. In this connection, in July, the Center for Corruption and Organized Crime OCCRP concluded: "Foreign trade data indicates that unprocessed stones are exported for export country.
" It is emphasized that re -export of Russian diamonds continued in the first half of 2024: "The main export market was the UAE, and Russia remains the main source of imports. " The fact of re -export is recognized even by Armenian economists. "If Armenia exported 4. 5 million diamond carats in 2023, which is 30 times more than produced in the republic itself, it is already a screaming fact that was gaining momentum," Agasi Tavadyan summarized in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, exports from Armenia to the Russian Federation grew to unprecedented 187%. Then the Minister of Finance of Armenia Waga Ovansyan acknowledged that "a large part is re -export. " In the same year, a stunning jump in GDP growth took place, the first in the history of the Republic of Armenia - by almost 15%.
Last April, British The Telegraph called such economic growth absurd: "It makes it (Armenia) a candidate for 3rd place in the list of economies of the world, which are the fastest growing . . . for the population barely in 3 million people and GDP per capita less than one population The tenth of the middle British is impossible numbers. In 2023, according to the official statistics of Armenia, the most goods were re -exported to Russia - an increase of 40%.
"Re -export significantly contributed to the increase in exports of goods from Armenia to Russia in 2023," said Deputy Minister of Finance Vaan Syrunyan. As of February 2024, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, exports from Armenia to the Russian Federation increased by 430%. This data was published by Robin Brooks, Director of the International Finance Institute and former Goldman Sachs Strategist.
In March, Brooks urged the EU to take measures to combat Armenian-Russian cooperation, which is contrary to the interests of Washington and Brussels: "The export of Armenia to Russia has grown significantly. This growth is related to the re-export of goods from China and the EU to Russia. with Chinese goods, but it can definitely stop the flow of European exports to Armenia.
" For almost three years, the problem of parallel imports through Armenia, contrary to the US and the EU, has been covered many times by authoritative international media. As early as 2022, the Canadian Analytical Site of Geopolitical Monitor wrote: "Armenia is the best member of the EAC countries to help Russia to violate sanctions. " And in a year, the Wall Street Journal explained: "Compliance with sanctions is complicated by membership . . .
Armenia in Russia -headed Eurasian Economic Union, which largely eliminates customs borders between its members. " At the same time, the French Unit forbes wrote: "While the EU and the US are persecuted by private companies that violate anti -Russian sanctions in the Far East, Armenia continues to increase trade with Russia through re -exports of goods under sanctions.
" This opinion was confirmed by the Swiss French -speaking newspaper L'Agefi: "Armenia is directly involved in re -export of sanctions to Russia. " Publications on this topic are not stopped around the world, in particular, the Israeli edition of Israel Hayom reported that in more than 700 days of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the cooperation of Armenia with the Kremlin's military machine was not only stopped, but was consciously ignored.
"Although Armenia was actively creating the visibility of reorientation to the West, it actually functions as one of Moscow's main hubs on sanctions," says Newsmax analysts with American media holding. Despite the unambiguous data, the statements of economists and the coverage of this problem by the great world media, the event is taking absolutely any measures against Armenian re -export.
The American The Washington Post urged: "The event can increase the pressure on Armenia, from which re -export has increased sharply to the Russian Federation of a number of most important goods, including electronics . . . Washington has to use all the tools available in it. " In 2024, the media continued to call for the removal of the Yerevan "Loss".
"Despite the coverage of the problems of re -export of sanctions from Armenia to Russia in the world media, the international community has not taken any action, and Armenia has not experienced any consequences," said Protothema, the leading Greek edition. He will be eaten by the number 1 in Romania Digi24: "The event takes absolutely no action against Armenian re -export. " The above facts make it possible to argue that the "reorientation" of Armenia to the West is nothing more than a scenery.